Exhibition by Moate's Lorna on display at Portumna Castle

Local librarian and artist Lorna Farrell recently unveiled a full-scale exhibition of her artwork, which will be on display in Portumna Castle until the beginning of May.

The exhibition by the Moate-based watercolourist is entitled Home and it places a strong emphasis on the sights and wildlife found in rural Ireland.

"For me, your home isn't really inside your house. I'm a very outdoorsy person - I grew up in the countryside - and we were always outside playing, so it's very much based on that," Lorna explained.

The collection of paintings, which have gone on show in a 17th century barn at Portumna Castle, capture the arrival and subsequent departure of the swallow, the hares, foxes, hedgehogs and other creatures Lorna spent time amongst as a child.

A well-known librarian locally, Lorna worked in Moate for a number of years before her role transferred to Athlone's Aidan Heavey Library last September.

While she never undertook formal art training, she has been dabbling in painting since she was a child. She had a very supportive art teacher in Moate Community School, Pamela Keogh, and her interest in art was also encouraged when she was attending national school in Castledaly.

"Myself and my two sisters would have spent every evening drawing and painting at home, and I still do the same. I'd rarely go home and turn on the television," she said.

"I got myself a little studio last year, so I would go home in the evening and go straight up there. It's a lovely hobby to have."

Having contributed to some group exhibitions in Moate in the past, she had a display of her work in the former Lowe & Co cafe in Athlone in March 2018.

From that exhibition, Lorna was commissioned to do a series of works based on the suppliers to the renowned Thyme restaurant in Athlone. Her distinctive work can also be seen in The Fatted Calf restaurant and in Custom Cuts hair salon in Athlone.

Lorna accepts commissions for portraits of pets and she said this kept her busy throughout the pandemic.

She said the rustic space in which her work is being exhibited in Portumna is a fitting backdrop to the exhibition of her paintings which commenced in late March.

"I've had a lovely response to it so far," she told the Westmeath Independent. "A lot of people from the Moate and Athlone areas have travelled to Portumna, but I've also had phone calls this week from people I don't know, who popped into the castle and went into the exhibition while they were there."

The castle, gardens and tea rooms are open 7 days a week from 10 am to 6 pm, with last entry at 5.15 pm, and Lorna's exhibition will continue there until May 1.